The Games were attended by approximately 2,600 athletes representing 80 countries. [56], The 1972 Winter Games, held in Sapporo, Japan,[57] were the first to be hosted on a continent other than North America or Europe. He came back to win the gold medal in the slalom at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games, and hoped to defend his title in 2006. For the TV episode of The Goodies, see, Medal leaders with their number of occurrence. Developments The Italian city of Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics. For the first time, live video coverage of the Games was available on mobile phones. Prior to the Games, there were reports of apathy towards the Games in Italy, with significant cost overruns and the government at first refusing to . [56] Venues were spread over long distances requiring three athletes' villages. However, during the Games, metro service stopped at 6:00pm, making it impractical for spectators of evening events. Switzerland's neutrality had protected the town during World War II, and most venues from the 1928 games remained in place, which made St. Moritz a logical choice. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}Host country (Italy). A record 2,508 athletes from 80 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed, and 26 NOCs took home medalsanother record. [121], The process for awarding host city honours came under intense scrutiny after Salt Lake City had been awarded the right to host the 2002 Games. [39] They were led by Hjalmar Andersen who won three gold medals in four events in the speed skating competition. The modern Olympic Games were inspired by the ancient Olympic Games, which were held in Olympia, Greece, from the 8th century BC to the 4th century AD. Boos, jeers and threats as Olympic flame kindles protests across Italy [30] This was the last time the Summer and Winter Olympics were held in the same country in the same year. But neither was there anything special about them. [82][83] Johann Olav Koss of Norway won three gold medals, coming first in all of the distance speed skating events. Despite numerous appeals and court hearings, the IOC's decision stood. The IOC agreed to provisionally accept the East German National Olympic Committee with the condition that East and West Germans compete on one team. The concerns proved to be unfounded, as the competitions were both exciting and well-attended. Dutch skater Yvonne van Gennip won three gold medals and set two world records, beating skaters from the favoured East German team in every race. Men's: sprint 10km, individual 20km, pursuit 12.5km, mass start 15km, relay 47.5km. [1] Medal table Men's events Women's events Participating NOCs Fifty-eight nations contributed alpine skiers to the events at Torino. [155] The uneasy compromise of a unified team held until the 1968 Grenoble Games when the IOC officially split the teams and threatened to reject the host-city bids of any country that refused entry visas to East German athletes. Italy at the 2024 Summer Olympics - Wikipedia He was able to recover and light the cauldron. Thanks to the olympic exposure and state of the art venues, Turin has become one of Italy's primary tourist destinations and has been established as an important sport center in Europe.[45]. [35] Controversy erupted when two hockey teams from the United States arrived, both claiming to be the legitimate U.S. Olympic hockey representative. International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge, impressed with the large, happy crowds that the medal ceremonies routinely attracted, suggested that the concept be carried over to subsequent Olympiads. Netherlands. The first gold medal of the Games was won by Therese Johaug of Norway in the women's skiathlon. Among the sledding disciplines, luger Armin Zggeler took a bronze, becoming the first Winter Olympian to secure a medal in six consecutive Games. [178] The special figures figure skating event was only contested at the 1908 Summer Olympics. [109] The Games were the most expensive until the date, with a cost of 30 billion (US$51 billion). Occupy Turin: refugees find a home in Italy's abandoned Olympic Village. Even the hyper-strict anti-doping Gods of WADA did not want criminal charges against the athletes, and eventually a compromise was reached. The fourth day saw Evgeni Plushenko of Russia set a world record score in the men's figure skating short program; his 90.66 points exceeded the nearest opponent's score by more than 10 points. The 2026 Winter Olympics will be in Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy and take place between 6 and 22 February 2026. As this is a focal event that is central to the Games, the IOC has previously not agreed to it taking place a great distance from the main host city,[134] in contrast to the Summer Games, where sailing and horse sports have taken place more than 1,000 kilometres (620mi) away. "Winter Olympics" redirects here. The IOC has had to address numerous criticisms over the decades like internal scandals, the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Winter Olympians, as well as a political boycott of the Winter Olympic Games. [135] Secondly, the qualifying host countries are limited to those that have the resources and infrastructure to successfully host an Olympic Games without negatively impacting the region or nation; this consequently rules out a large portion of the developing world. Also, Czechoslovakia participated in all Winter Olympic Games before its dissolution and its successors, Czech Republic and Slovakia have participated in all Winter Games thereafter. But the day before the slalom competition, Vidal went for a pleasure ski to celebrate his 29th birthday, fell, broke his left arm and had to withdraw. [104], The Vancouver Games were notable for the poor performance of the Russian athletes. The United States men's ice hockey team suffered its first loss of the tournament as Slovakia and Russia continue their dominance of the pool. By all accounts there was nothing wrong with the Torino Winter Olympics. [79] Lillehammer is the northernmost city to ever host the Winter Games. [95], In February 2009, Pechstein tested positive for "blood manipulation" and received a two-year suspension, which she appealed. The Olympic athletes in Torino displayed their usual superb performances. To the hometown fans, the big hero was their speedskater, Enrico Fabris, who won three medals, including two gold. It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Olympic Games. Team: Jol Retornaz (skip), Fabio Alvera, Gian Paolo Zandegiacomo The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority. Winter Olympics 2006 | Sport "[130] Due to the cost of hosting the Games, most host cities never realise a profit on their investment. [136] Finally, any prospective host city planning to bid for the Games is required to add a "legacy plan" to their proposal, with a view to the long-term economic and environmental impact that hosting the Olympics will have on the region.[137]. [3] This decision was the first bidding process, after the IOC had adopted new election procedures during the 108th Extraordinary IOC Session in light of the controversies surrounding the votes for the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics.[4]. [159], The Olympic Charter limits winter sports to "those sports which are practised on snow or ice. The Oslo bid had 220 kilometres (140mi) to the Kvitfjell downhill arena, while eventual host Beijing had venues 220km away from the city as well. Samaranch defended the gift as inconsequential since, as president, he was a non-voting member. American snowboarder Shaun White, known as the Flying Tomato because of his long red hair, entertained onlookers with his back-to-back 1080s (three full turns in the air) on his way to claiming the gold medal in the halfpipe competition. Omissions? Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Torino results was in cross-country skiing, where Norway, normally the dominant nation in this sport, won no gold medals. The opening ceremony saw signs of the aftermath of the events of that day, including the flag that flew at Ground Zero, and honour guards of NYPD and FDNY members. Key: 'ADV' indicates a skater was advanced due to being interfered with. [note 3] The Games were held every four years from 1924 to 1936, interrupted in 1940 and 1944 by World War II, and resumed in 1948. In 2006 the Winter Games returned to Italy after a 50-year absence. Discover the lasting legacy that this edition of the Olympic Games created for its hosts. The men's combined alpine skiing was riddled with disqualifications, including front-runners Bode Miller and Benjamin Raich. To that extent, many Norwegians wanted to win this event in order to embarrass the Italians on their home turf, but it was not to be as Italy crushed the field winning over Germany by over 15seconds to take their 5th straight gold in this event. UNEP had signed a protocol with the Organising Committee for the XX Olympic Winter Games Torino 2006. Key: '+ Time' represents a deficit; the brackets indicate the results of each run. [72] The Games were well-organised and not affected by the run-up to the war that engulfed the country eight years later. Due to cost issues, fewer and fewer cities are willing to host. The figure skating gala was also held, with top placers in all of the events performing exhibitions. Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, was elected as the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympics on 31 July 2015 at the 128th IOC Session. In men's curling action, Great Britain edged Germany 76, Switzerland kept New Zealand winless by winning 97, Canada beat Norway 76, and the United States defeated Sweden, 106. Due to a lack of funding by the Italian Government, TOROC risked dissolution. Because of its role in World War II, Germany was not allowed to compete at the 1948 Winter Olympics. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that NOC contributed. The Games were held between 4 February and 20 February 2022 at venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou which for the first time were run entirely on renewable energy. WINTER OLYMPICS, TURIN 2006 / Pomp and splendor - SFGATE [1] Medals Host country The festive side of the Games was greatly helped by the nightly medal ceremonies held in the Piazza Castello, Turins main piazza. [60] It also accused the Soviet Union of using state-sponsored athletes, who were de facto professionals. It included cross-country skiing, shooting, downhill skiing, fencing, and horse riding.[163]. Turin 2006 Event Olympics Fan Apparel & Souvenirs - eBay [122] Soon after the host city had been announced it was discovered that the organisers had engaged in an elaborate bribery scheme to curry favour with IOC officials. The addition of these events has broadened the appeal of the Winter Olympics beyond Europe and North America. Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games, athletic festival held in Turin, Italy, that took place Feb. 10-26, 2006. [6] Some analysts attribute the choice of Turin as a reaction to Swiss IOC member Marc Hodler's role in exposing the bribery scandal surrounding Salt Lake City's bid for the 2002 Winter Olympics[7]. 10 February 2006, Opening Ceremony of the XXth Olympic Winter Games. The organizers further increased security measures[46] in connection with the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy and insisted that the Olympic Games were going to be safe, which they were; the Olympics concluded without a major breach of security occurring. Torino 2006 Her career total of six gold medals set a record for Winter Olympics athletes. 2. 2006 Torino, Italy | CBC Sports 2026 Winter Olympics Competitors race against each other in groups of four on a course that includes banked turns, jumps and difficult terrain. In so doing she was able to help her team win a silver medal in the event at the expense of the Norwegian team, who finished fourth. Men's 10km individual normal hill, 10km individual large hill, team 45km large hill. Italy's flag bearer for the opening ceremony was figure skater Carolina Kostner. [61] Francisco Fernndez Ochoa became the first and, as of 2018, only Spaniard to win a Winter Olympic gold medal when he triumphed in the slalom. His gold medal earned him a $25,000 (USD) bonus from the United States Olympic Committee. The games were then to be held at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, but the 1940 games were cancelled following the German invasion of Poland in 1939. [67] The IOC attempted to have the countries compete together but when this proved to be unacceptable the IOC demanded that Taiwan cease to call itself the "Republic of China". On 24 October 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency Athletes' Commission stated that migun, who won two gold medals at the Turin Games, faces a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing before the end of October. These gifts included medical treatment for relatives, a college scholarship for one member's son and a land deal in Utah. For the seventh straight Winter Games, Canada improved upon its medal total, achieving another best ever with 24. Italy at the 2006 Winter Olympics [86][88] Austrian Hermann Maier survived a crash during the downhill competition and returned to win gold in the super-G and the giant slalom. Amazing Highlights - Turin 2006 Winter Olympics - YouTube The battle stemmed from the Lillehammer games 12 years ago in which Italy out-dueled Norway in that very same event. Added to her four medals from Salt Lake City, this made her the first alpine skier to win six Olympic medals. It was the Winter Olympics that they gave, but nobody came. The athletes competed in fourteen events in four sports. The Russian pair of Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze competed against the Canadian pair of Jamie Sal and David Pelletier for the gold medal. [69] In the "Miracle on Ice", the American hockey team composed of college players beat the favoured seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union, and progressed to eventually win the gold medal. Armin Zggeler's win in that event gave Italy its first gold medal of the Games and gave Zggeler medals at four consecutive Olympics, including two golds in a row. To add to the family sideboard, her brother, Ivica, also won a medal in mens alpine skiing. On the other hand, the bus service was heavily improved for the Games, although still inadequate at night hours. [97] This ruling was brought to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which overturned the lower court's ruling and precluded her from competing in Vancouver. In 2006, Swedish athletes won seven Olympic events: mens ice hockey, womens curling, womens Alpine skiing and biathlon and three in cross-country skiing. As with every Olympics since the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics and then increasingly since the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Olympics in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, there was heavy security due to fears of terrorism. [90] These Games were the first to take place since the September 11 attacks of 2001, which meant a higher degree of security to avoid a terrorist attack. 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy on track after difficult few years [132], The organising committee had hoped that the exposure gained from hosting the Winter Olympics, and the improved access to Nagano from Tokyo, would benefit the local economy for years afterwards. [122] Gifts and other financial considerations were given to those who would evaluate and vote on Salt Lake City's bid. Italy has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern Winter Olympic Games. The cost and cost overrun for Torino 2006 compares with costs of US$2.5 billion and a cost overrun of 13% for Vancouver 2010, and costs of US$51 billion and a cost overrun of 289% for Sochi 2014, the latter being the most costly Olympics to date. Later, the Austrian ski federation president said that the two athletes told him they "may have used illegal methods". Also known as: Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, XX Olympic Winter Games. There was unprecedented parity at these games, during which 10 countries won gold medalsmore than any games to that point. Media: 9,408 (2,688 written press, 6,720 broadcasters). Italy was the host nation for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. Nils van der Poel of Sweden won the men's 5,000m and 10,000m distances, setting new Olympic records in both distances. Russia finished the third day of competition with two gold medals, as did the United States. Some others, including curling and bobsleigh, have been discontinued and later reintroduced; others have been permanently discontinued, such as military patrol, though the modern Winter Olympic sport of biathlon is descended from it. This image shows the location of the mountain events in the Alps west of Turin. The 2006 Winter Olympics featured 84 medal events over 15 disciplines in 7 sports. On 22 February, the twelfth day of competition, Anja Prson won her first gold medal in the women's slalom; it was her fifth overall Olympic medal and third of the 2006 Games. See table Olympic Games Turin Winter Olympics 2006 CIPRA (e) They decided that the cities were: the big favorite Sion and the dark horse of the process: Turin. Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey were banned from competing in the games. [73] A total of 49 nations and 1,272 athletes participated in 39 events. In the women's ice hockey semifinals, the United States lost a shootout to Sweden, marking the first time in international competition that the United States had lost to anyone other than Canada. [10] This includes sports-related costs only, that is, (i) operational costs incurred by the organizing committee for the purpose of staging the Games, e.g., expenditures for technology, transportation, workforce, administration, security, catering, ceremonies, and medical services, and (ii) direct capital costs incurred by the host city and country or private investors to build, e.g., the competition venues, the Olympic village, international broadcast center, and media and press center, which are required to host the Games. It is worth remembering that Fiat has always shaped politics in Turin and the region of Piedmont as a whole. They were just burdened throughout by a sense of ennui. Competitors. Bids for the 2036 Summer Olympics - Wikipedia These Games would have coincided with the year of Colorado's centennial and the United States Bicentennial. Since IOC members were forbidden from visiting the candidate cities (in the interests of reducing bribery), the 109th IOC Session elected a special body, the Selection College, to choose finalist cities from the pool of candidate cities after each had made their final presentations to the full IOC Session. From their first Winter Olympics in 1956 to the 2006 Games, a Soviet or Russian delegation had never been outside the top five medal-winning nations, but in 2010 they finished sixth in total medals and eleventh in gold medals. Statistics The Turin Games were the 20th occurrence of the Winter Olympic Games. [29], The German towns of Garmisch and Partenkirchen joined to organise the 1936 edition of the Winter Games, held from 616 February. At the first phase, all had to make the preliminary presentation in full IOC Session. Many venues were located in the Olympic District in central Turin, including: A record 80 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) entered athletes at the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. 2006 Winter Olympics The Soviet Union entered teams of athletes who were all nominally students, soldiers, or working in a profession, but many of whom were in reality paid by the state to train on a full-time basis. The IOC has enacted several initiatives to mitigate these concerns. 9. The FilmMaster Group K-events (from March 2012: Filmmaster Events) created and produced the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the XX Winter Olympic Games in Turin in 2006. Canada had another strong day on 15 February, setting new Olympic records in both men's and women's pursuit team speed skating events as well as opening the men's ice hockey competition with a win against Italy. She went on to also win the women's 10km and 30km cross-country distances. It was the second time that Italy had hosted the Winter Olympic Games. [26] Sonja Henie defended her Olympic title,[24] and Eddie Eagan of the United States, who had been an Olympic champion in boxing in 1920,[27] won the gold medal in the men's bobsleigh event[28] to join Gillis Grafstrm as the only athletes to have won gold medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Juan Antonio Samaranch described Lillehammer as "the best Olympic Winter Games ever" in his closing ceremony speech. The Republic of China refused to attend the Games over the IOC's recognition of the People's Republic of China as "China", and its request for the Republic of China to compete as "Chinese Taipei". In Vancouver, the total number of medals won by athletes from Asia had increased to thirty-one, with eleven of them being gold. [11] Events that made their Olympic debut in Turin included mass start biathlon, team sprint cross-country skiing, snowboard cross and team pursuit speed skating. This was the ninth time Norway claimed the highest number of gold medals in the Winter Games. [115][116][117] However, nine medals were later returned, meaning that Russia reclaimed first place in the overall medal table, and joint first place with Norway in terms of gold medals. [31] The ski ballet event, later known as ski-acro, was demonstrated in 1988 and 1992. Women's singles. But again, there was nothing wrong inherently with Torino as a host city, nor was there anything significantly lacking in these Olympic Winter Games. Italy selected to host 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Cortina - NBC News It was therefore a surprise when Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, was selected as host. These results increased the chances of an Asian city hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics that would be held the following year.[107][108]. Epreuves par quipes - 12. It was the first appearance for Albania, Ethiopia and Madagascar. Another sporting highlight was the free dance performance of British ice dancers Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean; their Bolro routine received unanimous perfect scores for artistic impression, earning them the gold medal. The 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin had a formidable backer in Gianni Agnelli, the former president of Fiat. [153], In 1955 the Soviet Union recognised East Germany as a sovereign state, thereby giving more credibility to East Germany's campaign to become an independent participant at the Olympics. Surfing the internet for results proved popular too, with torino2006.org registering approximately 700 million page views, and the site of the International Olympic Committee, Olympic.org, over 32 million. Kristina migun won her second gold medal of the Games with a victory in the women's 10kilometre classical cross-country skiing on 16 February, remaining the only Estonian to medal.